Grayson Perry's The Vanity of Small Differences comprises six large tapestries examining modern life

 

Disabled artists in Leeds are going up against Grayson Perry by staging their own exhibition in protest against the venue for his new show in the city.

Perry's The Vanity of Small Differences is on display at Temple Newsam House, but the venue is not fully accessible.

So eight disabled artists are putting on their own rival textiles exhibition.

Organiser Gill Crawshaw said: "You might be putting the tapestries on in an ancient building, but you shouldn't be thinking in an ancient way."

The historic venue is owned by Leeds City Council, which admitted the accessibility was "not what we would wish it to be".

A representative for the Turner Prize-winning artist said he was out of the country and not available for comment.

Reductivism by Faye Waple is among the artworks
included in The Reality of Small Differences

  

The "rival" exhibition, titled The Reality of Small Differences, opens at the Union 105 and Inkwell Arts venues on Saturday, the same day as Perry's six large tapestries go on show at Temple Newsam House.

Ms Crawshaw said: "The main aim of the exhibition at first was a protest and to make a statement and say this is an outrageous decision to put the tapestries there.

"We wanted to highlight that that was discriminating against disabled people.

"However, it's become something in its own right because disabled people are doing fantastic work and there are loads of artists out there making interesting work."

A statement from Leeds City Council said: "Temple Newsam House is, by its nature, one of our most difficult venues in which to implement accessibility measures.

"However, Leeds Museums and Galleries will continue to strive to do all we can to ensure exhibitions and works can be enjoyed by as many people as possible, irrespective of their personal circumstances."

'Insult to injury'
One of the six tapestries is in a fully accessible gallery and the venue has bought a "stair climber to improve access for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility", the council said.
There will also be a film of the tapestries and an app to zoom in and see the detail.

Ms Crawshaw added: "It adds insult to injury doesn't it? An app or watching a video that's already been on television anyway is nowhere near the same experience as getting to see the tapestries themselves."

Ms Crawshaw said she had invited Perry to visit their exhibition. "I understand he's away," she said. "I do think he would approve, actually, of what we're doing, and I do think he would enjoy the artwork we've got on show."

Leeds is the final stop in a UK tour for The Vanity of Small Differences, which has already visited Sunderland, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.

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The gold and silver coins are 10cm across and are legal tender

Sir Anthony Caro [L] and Tom Phillips with their designs

A gold coin commemorating London's 2012 Olympics, designed by eminent sculptor Sir Anthony Caro, has been revealed by the Royal Mint at London's Royal Academy of Art.

The UK's first Kilo coin - one of just 60 to be produced - is worth £100,000 as it contains 1kg of fine gold.

A silver Kilo worth £3,000 designed by artist, composer and writer Tom Phillips was also revealed.

The Queen personally approved both designs in order for them to become legal tender.

The obverse of the coins features her effigy, created by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, whose design of Her Majesty appears on all UK and Commonwealth coinage since 1998.

Sir Anthony Caro's design represents how the Games focus on success and pushing the body and mind to their limits as well as the long heritage of the Olympics. His coin is framed by a laurel wreath and the London 2012 logo, and depicts the sports equipment used for weightlifting, boxing, football and athletics.

During the manufacturing of the gold Kilo, a special press and production technique was used to achieve the highest ever relief on a coin struck by the Royal Mint. However because of its worth and size, it is unlikely to go into circulation.

The silver Kilo design focuses on the idea of teams working in unison to achieve success and victory, featuring the words "Unite our dreams to make the world a team of teams". It also has images of celebratory flags creating a sun for the Games while also representing the Olympic flame.


Sir Anthony's works have played a key role in the development of contemporary sculpture. He was knighted in 1987 and was the first British sculptor since Henry Moore to receive the Order of Merit in 2000. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York recently featured a major exhibition of his works.

Phillips's works are displayed in some of the world's most prominent galleries, including London's Tate and the National Portrait Gallery.

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An art critic takes in the room as a painting

London's National Gallery said on Wednesday it would crack down on the re-sale of tickets to its blockbuster show of Leonardo da Vinci paintings which are being offered online at up to 300 pounds each ($470).

The normal price of a ticket to "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan", billed as the most complete collection of Leonardo's few surviving paintings ever staged, is 16 pounds.

"We are obviously very disappointed at the resale of these tickets for profit," said a spokeswoman for the gallery.

"The resale of tickets for the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition is against the terms and conditions of their sale and this information is printed on the tickets.

"Our website clearly states: 'Tickets that have been resold will be cancelled without refund and admission will be refused to the bearer.'"

She added that the gallery was in the process of contacting companies and websites offering to re-sell tickets and requesting that they "stop immediately.

"We are conducting checks on Leonardo tickets."

The exhibition, which opened on Nov. 9 to rave reviews and closes on Feb. 5, 2012, quickly sold out as art lovers from Britain and abroad scrambled for access.

The gallery has withheld a limited number of tickets to be sold each day, but on its website it warns visitors they may have to wait for up to three hours and then wait again to enter the show.

The website also advises ticket holders unable to attend to provide a signed letter of authorisation if they wish to hand them over to somebody else.

On Wednesday, two tickets were offered on the eBay online auction website for 600 pounds, although most were priced significantly lower and in some cases at a discount to face value.

On the Viagogo online ticket exchange a pair of tickets was on sale for up to 227 pounds.

The exhibition boasts nine of 15 or 16 known Leonardo paintings, including "Christ as Salvator Mundi" which was only recently attributed to Leonardo, although its authenticity is still questioned by some.

Listed by the National Gallery as an original, the painting was sold at Sotheby's for 45 pounds in 1958, when it was believed to be by one of Leonardo's pupils.

According to ARTnews, the work is now owned by a consortium of dealers, including Robert Simon, a specialist in Old Masters in New York. Valued by experts at up to $200 million, Simon told the publication the work was not for sale.

The National Gallery has collected virtually all of the known Leonardo paintings from Milan, where he was court artist to the city's ruler Ludovico Sforza from around 1482-1499.

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